Cadance's 'Curse'
by Azure129
Summary: What in the world possessed Discord to give Celestia flowers at the end of season four? What did Spike and Discord do before showing up at Twilight's castle with the princesses? And is Cadance secretly a troll? The answers are all here! Just a really random one shot. Enjoy!


**A/N:**

Just a really random story from me exploring what Discord and Spike might have done between being left at the harmony tree by Twilight and the girls while they took care of Tirek and showing up later with Celestia, Luna and Cadance in Ponyville at Twilight's new castle. I also wanted to explore a really random theory for why Discord suddenly felt comfortable giving Celestia flowers and winking at her right in the middle of a room full of onlooking ponies—my theory involves Cadance, specifically Cadance secretly being a troll XD I hope you all enjoy my randomness! Please review if you can, and thank you!

**Cadance's 'Curse'**

* * *

Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Apple Jack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, all now possessed of their new 'Rainbow Power', flew up in sphere of light away from the Tree of Harmony and out toward Tirek who eyed them with surprise and then quickly shot a blast of his dark power at them…but to no effect.

Lord Tirek blinked and snarled. "How is this possible? You have no magic!"

"You're wrong, Tirek!" Twilight cried out. "I may have given you my alicorn magic, but I carry within me the most powerful magic of all!"

Suddenly, the sphere of light made up by the girls brightened until one colorful beam of light shot out at Tirek and then another and another until a blinding beam of rainbow encompassed him. Tirek screamed as his magic was slowly drained until, returned to his natural state, the girls sent him back to his cage in Tartarus where he belonged.

Suddenly, the rainbow sphere rose up high over the land and then spread out in a huge disc of light, each of the girls taking a corner of Equestria to bring their healing magic to.

Meanwhile, (and throughout this entire battle finale), Discord and Spike had just been standing by the harmony tree, looking at the scene, jaws completely dropped. Spike also had an eyebrow raised, and Discord had a finger held up as though he had momentarily considered questioning something, but then just didn't even know where to start.

Now that the girls were gone though, Discord blinked a few times, shook his head and snapped out of it. "We just went from opening a small chest with special keys to a laser light show explosion of cosmic rainbow friendship magic." He cleared his throat. "Well, that escalated quickly."

"I'll say." Spike finally got his lower jaw up and now just looked to the still glowing sky. "Uh…it seems like the girls have it covered but…should we do anything?" He glanced at Discord, raising an eyebrow again.

Discord scratched his head. "Normally, this is the part where I'd kick back with a fruity drink and congratulate myself on being chaotic and a good friend at the same time during a misadventure, but, erm…that might not be appropriate this time around all things consid—Oh!" A sharp wiggle suddenly went through Discord.

Spike blinked. "Discord?"

"Magical imbalance." Discord explained. "Or should I say, a correction of a magical imbalance." He looked to Spike, who still seemed confused, and elaborated. "The princesses all have their alicorn magic back…and they're heading back to this area from Tartarus. And I can tell you right now, there's a big magical shift coming to the Ponyville area too." Discord put a hand to his beard, pacing for a moment as he considered deeply and then sighed. "Spike, as the two men of this ragtag group of friendship lovers we're involved in…and also as the only two close friends of Twilight who aren't currently flying around with crazy Celestia-hair and cutie marks all over our legs…I believe we have a job to do." He turned to the baby dragon.

A determined grin came to Spike's features, and he punched a fist into his palm and nodded. "Right!" He remained like that for a couple of seconds but then finally looked to Discord curiously again. "And that would be….?"

Discord rolled his eyes to the side, putting his hands on his hips. "Someone has to meet Celestia and Luna and Cadance at the Canterlot Castle to make sure they know what happened with the girls and how Tirek was defeated, and then someone has to take them back to Ponyville to meet the girls and see whatever's getting ready to happen there."

"Right!" That determined smile returned to Spike's features.

Discord nodded. "Exactly. Which is why I volunteer you to do that, Spike." Discord grinned brightly, snapping to make a spotlight appear over Spike's head.

Spike blinked and gestured to himself. "Me? But you have to help too, Discord! You're the one has magic! How am I supposed to get to Canterlot?"

"Walking?" Discord shrugged.

Spike gave him a dry look and a slight scowl. Her jerked his thumb back toward the Canterlot Castle way off in the distance past the Everfree Forest and Ponyville. "Yeah, that'll work…if we want the princesses to find out what's going on by _next Hearthswarming Eve_." Spike held out his arms. "Besides, you _have_ to go, Discord. You know a ton more about what happened here than I do since you're the only one who got close to Tirek."

Discord raised an eyebrow, glanced away…but then finally sighed. "Oh all right, all right, we'll go together and use my magic to get there."

Spike nodded, coming closer to Discord to prepare for their teleportation. But he had to raise an eyebrow at the draconequus again and shrug. "What's the big deal, Discord? The day is saved, we have good news to deliver, Twilight opened the chest—everything's great." He smiled.

Discord scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Oh yes, everything's just peachy…except that I now have to face a room filled with the three most powerful women in the world who are all going to have the biggest bone to pick with me." Discord snapped his fingers, making a huge bone fall out of the sky and land alongside himself and Spike. He sighed, bringing a hand to his forehead as he leaned back against the bone. "I'll be _lucky _if they just turn me to stone this time around. I just hope whatever they do doesn't leave a mark."

Spike grinned and shook his head, waving him off. "Oh come on, Discord, it won't be that bad. The princesses are really forgiving—just explain to them that you made a mistake and that you're sorry. Trust me."

A chuckle left Discord, and he shook his head. "Oh young Spike, you clearly have minimal experience with the temper of royal alicorn females. But fine, fine, we'll do this—but I reserve the right to use you as a dragon-hide shield if things come to magical blows."

Spike grinned and swung his fist through the air. "There you go, that's the spirit, Dis—wait, what?!" Spike's eyes went wide just as Discord chuckled and snapped his fingers, making the two of them disappear…

* * *

….And reappear just inside of the Canterlot Castle throne room.

Spike blinked a few times, taking in his new surroundings. Quickly, his eyes lit up at the sight of Celestia, Luna, and Cadance standing together by the throne. They were all smiling and had their cutie marks again and, best of all, they were looking as well as ever.

"Princess Celestia! Princess Luna! Princess Cadance!" Spike dashed over to them, arms held out. "It's so good to see you! And you're safe!" He quickly hugged each one of them.

"Oh Spike, it's wonderful to see you safe too," Cadance assured with a smile, leaning down and nuzzling Spike as he finished hugging her. "I take it Twilight found a way to stop Tirek?"

Spike pulled back and nodded to all three princesses. "Oh yeah—you won't believe what happened!" He proceeded to explain with dramatic gestures and jumping around and his eyes lit up. "So when Twilight went off with the alicorn magic, Discord found me and the rest of the girls, and Tirek captured us! But then Tirek double crossed Discord and captured him! Then Twilight came back, and she and Tirek had an epic battle with lights and lasers and glowing balls of energy, but they were too evenly matched! So Tirek offered Twilight the safe return of her friends in exchange for her alicorn magic. I guess she wasn't supposed to, but Twilight accepted, and she even insisted Tirek free Discord, and she called him her friend! Then Discord felt so bad that he gave her this weird necklace Tirek had given him as a sign of friendship, and it turned out to be Twilight's key to the harmony chest! So we all raced there, and the chest opened and then—WOOSH! All this magic came out, and the girls got all rainbowy, and they totally beat the hooves off of Tirek and tossed him back into Tartarus! Then all the magic got restored, I guess, and the girls flew off to fix things all over Equestria! And then you all came back, and now Discord says there's some big magical change coming to Ponyville so we should all probably get over there a.s.a.p. to meet up with the girls!" Spike let out a deep breath and threw himself backwards onto the floor with a big grin. Then he sat up and looked to the three princesses. "And that's how Twilight and the magic of friendship saved the day this time! But I'll be sure to have Twilight send you a letter about it of course, Princess Celestia, just so you have an official record." He stood, giving a little salute.

Celestia smiled warmly and leaned down toward Spike. "Spike, that was a very fascinating story, and I'm so glad you came here to share it with us, and I'll be looking forward to reading Twilight's letter recounting it. And now that we know everything that's happened, I agree, we should all go over to Ponyville right away to meet with the girls. And Discord's right—I have a feeling a large magical change is taking place there even as we speak."

"Yes, young Spike." Luna smiled down at the little dragon and nodded. "Of course we shall accompany you to greet Twilight and the other element bearers. We owe them a great debt for their sacrifices and hard work in this time of peril." Her smile grew a little. "In fact, why don't you head out into the corridor and start explaining to the guards that we are planning to meet Princess Twilight in Ponyville. They are aware that Celestia, Cadance and I have returned, but are not yet aware of our perfectly restored health and certainly not of our intentions to leave again so soon."

"Can do!" Spike winked at the princesses (and turned away from them, upon which Luna shot Discord a very brief smirk, her eyes narrowed), and then Spike dashed for the throne room door.

"_Uh_…" Discord's eyes went wide and he held up a finger, turning to the baby dragon as he dashed by, "Spike, I don't know if, um…"

"I'll be back in a second, Discord, don't worry." Spike just paused by the now open throne room door and smiled at Discord over his shoulder. "And this'll give you a chance to tell your side of the story and anything I missed." For a moment, just a touch of a satisfied grin came to Spike's features, and then he gave Discord a little wave and slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Out in the hall now, Spike smiled to himself. "Hey, messing with me is fine, but nobody messes with Twilight, and Discord really did mess with Twilight today. I don't think a little time alone with the princesses to make up for it will hurt him too bad." Spike glanced around the empty corridor. "Now, if I were a guard…I'd probably be near the kitchen!" Spike's eyes lit up. "I'll head in that direction, and I'm bound to find as many guards as possible to tell about the princesses!" And with that he dashed off down the hallway to complete his task.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the throne room with Discord versus the three princesses.

Discord just remained looking at the closed throne room door with wide eyes for a few silent seconds. And then with a swallow he turned back to Celestia, Luna, and Cadance. They all just looked back at him with interest, Cadance smiling normally, Celestia smiling a little less pleasantly than usual, and Luna no longer trying to fake a smile much at all.

Discord grinned and stepped forward, playing with his hands. "Okay…" He took a deep breath. "Ladies, first of all, great to have you back, and might I add you're looking lovelier than ever. Second, I know an apology is probably in order…and an explanation…and a discussion. Heh, um…I'll start then." He rolled his paw in the air and put his claw behind his back. "So…about completely disregarding my reform and my friendships to join with Tirek and put everyone in serious danger, I…well, to start, if it makes anyone feel any better, I did hesitate a little bit before I actually joined up with him, heh." He grinned sheepishly—he just wanted to lighten the mood. He had never made a sincere formal apology to anyone before, and he was still getting used to the experience.

Luna, however, wasn't tolerating any flippancy at the moment. Period.

"_I will turn your pelt into a rug for my room!"_ She broke from the ranks of the princesses and came right toward Discord, scowling, her eyes flashing, her tone threatening to become her Royal Canterlot Voice.

"Luna!" Celestia blinked.

Discord's eyes went wide and he backed up quite a bit, holding up his hands. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Disproportionate response, Luna! Come on, Spike told you—I apologized, gave Twilight the sixth key, really joined the side of good…you know, _after_ I betrayed all of you and helped a psychopath and nearly got Equestria destroyed, but still! I gambled, I lost control of the situation, I took responsibility for my mistake, and I'm sorry. Truly."

Luna still glared at him though, her horn starting to glow. "When you let those dark magic vines kidnap my sister and I from our castle and drag us to the Everfree forest last month, I was tempted to use you as target practice, and _that_ incident only inconvenienced _us_! But this time you harmed our entire kingdom AND forced me to give up control of my moon again in my life." She seethed. "Oh if this were the old days, I would have you placed in magical stocks right in the city center where nobles and ruffians alike could toss rotting fruit at you and jest over your punishment!" She stamped a hoof on the ground.

Discord lowered his hands. "Heh, okay, well, clearly you're calming down as your threats have now gone from involving skinning me alive to just run of the mill archaic cruel and unusual punishment—that's gotta be a good sign that you'll forgive me eventually...right?" Discord tried to smile a little again, though he did glance nervously past Luna to the other princesses for a moment. "Incidentally though, she doesn't have the power to enforce either of her two suggestions for what to do with me…right?"

Celestia let out a breath and came forward, smiling softly. She looked to her sister. "Luna, please do not upset yourself so much. We've had a long day, and you'll only weaken your magic further. Allow me to discuss Discord's actions with him." Luna let out a breath and her horn stopped glowing, though she still looked to Discord with frustration.

Celestia smiled more at her sister heeding her advice. Her tone remained as soothing and poised as ever as she went on. "After all, Luna, Discord merely made a mistake, which any of us is capable of. It's not like he's the one who let Tirek out. He's simply the one who let him regain power. And the one who led him right to us. And the one who told him about Twilight…" Celestia's smile faltered slightly, "And the one who helped him terrorize the land even after the deep friendship we've all developed…and the one who clearly let Tirek kidnap the girls and Spike to use against Twilight," her smile faltered a little more, and her eyes came to Discord (who was looking uneasy again, to say the least), "And the one who put my sister's life and my niece's life and my student's life all in immediate and unnecessary danger. Do you have any idea of the day we've had, Discord?" Celestia suddenly turned and stepped closer to him, a rare note of anger lacing her usual gentle voice. "So help me, I have half a mind to order you to stand on a pedestal out in the statue garden as you are now and _pretend_ to be a statue for a little while now that we no longer have the Elements." A deep sigh of weariness left her, and now Celestia just looked at Discord with such concern. "Do you have any idea of the worry we all experienced, the sadness of your betrayal, the fear and frustration of not being able to help Twilight? Discord, I know you're sorry, but still, I could just…I don't even know where to start, I…"

Celestia paused in speaking at the feeling of a hoof gently touching her shoulder. She looked down to see none other than Cadance at her side, a smile as cheerful and sincere as ever upon her features. "Auntie Celestia," Cadance started sweetly, "I know you're upset, but please don't let yourself get too worked up, just like Auntie Luna. You've both had such a long day, and I'm sure you'd both like time to sort out your thoughts and feelings. Why don't you both go help Spike with informing the guards about our situation and plans, and allow me to handle reprimanding Discord for the moment?"

"You wish to handle this?" Luna raised an eyebrow (Celestia looked just a touch surprised as well).

Cadance nodded. "Yes. Trust me. I don't have as much history with him, so even though I'm tired too I can easily keep a level head no matter how bad things have been today." She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, held out her hoof, and then let out the breath and smiled serenely. She opened her eyes again. "We'll just talk about how his behavior was inappropriate, I'll accept his apology, we'll briefly discuss potential consequences for his actions, and move on from there. What's most important now is being in Ponyville to greet Twilight and help her understand her new power. Besides, I'm sure it'll be more reassuring to the staff to see you both well for a few moments before we go rather than just having Spike tell them you're both fine but have to leave again so suddenly."

Celestia considered, looked to Luna, and then both princesses looked back to Cadance. Celestia smiled in her normal, warm way and nodded. "Very well, Princess Cadance. We'll leave him in your capable hooves. I think you're right—Luna and I are all a little tired, and some time to clear our heads might be the best thing for our friendship with Discord."

"Indeed," Luna sighed, "I suppose so."

Celestia looked forward and walked past Discord, her head held high though she continued smiling and even addressed him calmly. "I'm sorry if I lost my temper for a moment, Discord. I am grateful to call you friend again." She glanced at him, her smile warming a little, and then went on to the throne room door, magically opening it.

Luna strode past Discord with her head held high as well, barely managing a smile of her own. "Discord," she said coolly with a nod of her head. Discord turned to look after her, upon which Luna paused, looked over her shoulder, then narrowed her gaze and made a gesture back and forth between herself and him with her hoof clearly saying 'I've got my eye on you.' She let out a small huff and then turned to follow after her sister.

The pony sisters left the throne room, and the door shut firmly once again. Then there was silence.

Though 'relief' may have seemed the natural response for Discord now as he had just successfully weathered (or at least put off) the wrath of Equestria's two most powerful mares and only had to face the reprimand of the gentle and loving Cadance…in fact, the master of chaos suddenly felt more uneasy than he had so far in this little alicorn confrontation.

Discord turned to see Cadance still standing a few feet away from him, still just smiling as peacefully as ever, appearing totally non-threatening with her pink coat and colorful hair and happy demeanor.

He didn't trust her for a second.

Discord gulped but tried to play it cool. "So…Cadance." He put his arms behind his back.

Cadance bowed her head slightly. "Discord."

There was just silence. Discord glanced around the room. Then he did his best to scowl with a touch of defiance. "Okay, well, we're a little pressed for time, so, if we could just cut to the chase…what's the catch here, Cadance?" He crossed his arms over his chest.

"What do you mean?" Cadance tilted her head to the side, still smiling.

Discord eyed her even more suspiciously. "Luna and Celestia I know inside and out, and I bug Twilight all the time so I've got her down pretty good too. You, though, I'm not familiar enough with to gauge how this is going to play out." He raised an eyebrow. "What sort of horrible punishment do you think you're going to inflict on me? And keep in mind, I still have the power of chaos on my side, you know." Despite the assurance, Discord still felt uneasy. He really did not know this princess well at all beyond the fact that she could take one of his jokes like the biggest sport imaginable. '_Remember, Discord, this is the one who's trip to visit Twilight you ruined entirely for your own selfish amusement, __and__ the one who fought a tatzulwurm and said she enjoyed the 'invigorating experience'_. Keep a close eye on her.'

Cadance just laughed softly and shook her head. "Discord, I'm not going to inflict any 'horrible punishment' on you. Really. I'm a very calm and easygoing person almost all the time—my thing is love after all, and love is so soothing." She slowly approached him. "Now, you learned your lesson, right?"

Discord hesitated but nodded, his suspicions waning but still present. "Yes, I did."

Cadance nodded. "And you understand why what you did was wrong? And you're willing to take full responsibility? And you'll never do it again, right?"

Discord nodded, suspicion giving way to remorse over his actions. His arms came to his sides. "Absolutely. I think I understand friendship a lot better now, and I want to try again if everypony will give me another chance."

Cadance smiled more. "Excellent. That's what's most important." She paused, standing right before him now. "But there are still consequences to your actions, Discord—though at least those consequences which will have the benefit of teaching you just how important it is to always do your best to be a good and loving person. We all forgive you for your mistake, of course, but that being said you really did hurt and anger many people." She tilted her head a little. "It might take a little something extra on your part to mend those friendships."

Discord sighed, glancing to the side with a dull look. "Yeah, I was afraid something like that would be the case. Oh well…I'll just do my best to get through the consequences of how people will react to what I did." He shrugged. "I can't blame them, and how hard could it be anyway, right?" He considered and then looked back to Cadance with a grin. "So, no 'real' punishment then? I mean other than the hard work I'm going to have to do anyway to prove myself a good friend once more?"

Cadance smiled warmly…but then shook her head. "Oh, I didn't say that, Discord."

Discord blinked, but before he could say anything Cadance closed her eyes, made her horn glow a soft (yet almost eerie) pink, and then tapped Discord with it gently right on the chest. She pulled back and smiled, her horn returning to normal. "There we go, punishment all over with, Discord. Now, let's go join Spike and Celestia and Luna to head over to Ponyville." And with that she started trotting past him, calmly and casually as ever, toward the throne room door.

Discord just stood there with wide eyes, looking down at his (seemingly normal) chest. Then he turned around to Cadance. "Wait, wait, wait, what was that?!" He raced after her, coming up alongside her.

Cadance just continued forward in her normal serenity. "Oh, nothing."

"No, come on, you did something just now—something 'punishment' class. What was it?" There was a touch of panic in Discord's features at this point.

Cadance shrugged, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, her poise maintaining. "You can sense magical changes, Discord—you should know that I really did nothing to you."

"Yes, and you're right, I don't feel like you did anything to me…but that's what worries me." Discord narrowed his eyes and suddenly came in front of the throne room door, blocking her path. "Now, I'm not buying this innocent little 'princess of love without a drop of wrath in her nature' act anymore—tell me what you did? I at least have the right as someone being punished to know what my punishment is!" He pouted and showed no sign of moving from the door until he got his way.

Cadance paused in front of the draconequus, still just looking as pleasant as ever. But then something in her smile became just a little smirk-like and her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "I don't think you want to know…" she said almost in a singsong voice.

Discord blinked, then he grinned and held up a finger. "Ha! So you did do something! I knew it!" He crossed his arms over his chest, smiling in smug satisfaction. But then he blinked again and raised an eyebrow. "Wait, why am I happy about this?" He shook his head. "Cadance, what did you do to me?" He looked at her firmly…if uneasily.

Cadance sighed. "I still don't think you want to know." She brought a hoof to her chin, looking up in thought. "Then again though, it might be fun if you do know…"

Discord rolled his eyes. "Oh would you just stop with the suspense and tell me already, please!"

"Well, since you asked so nicely," Cadance's smile became pleasant again, and she explained her actions as though they were the simplest thing in the world. "I tapped you with a funny little love spell I've been working on. I had to study and incorporate some things about curses to get it to stick just right, but I think it's turned out to be very efficient."

Discord's eyes went wide and his jaw fell almost as much as it had earlier upon watching Twilight and the girls ascend into the heavens surrounded by a glowing ball of rainbow light. "A love curse!? But what…how…when…who the…what's going to happen to me?!"

Cadance giggled softly. "Well, my 'curse' will lie dormant for now—and don't try removing it because I'm the only one who can. But when something special activates it, you'll feel a compulsion to express your deepest romantic feelings to whatever special somepony you like the most, and you simply won't be able to help yourself. And it'll happen in public—it always does." She winked.

"Romantic…_Romantic_…what?!" Discord held out his arms in panic. "Cadance, first of all, take this thing off of me! Second of all, I-I-I don't even have someone I have those feelings for! And third of all TAKE THIS THING OFF OF ME!"

"Nope!" Cadance closed her eyes, smiling cheerfully. Then she opened her eyes again and added, her gaze going a little hazed. "Oh, and I think you do have someone you have thoughts like that about, at least a little—everyone does."

Discord's jaw fell open again and he slumped back against the throne room door. He let out a sigh of defeat, bringing his paw to his temple. "Will you at least tell me what'll activate this curse of yours?"

Cadance shook her head. "No. That's a surprise, I'm afraid, Discord."

Discord just pouted and scowled in even more frustration, then stood up again, crossing his arms over his chest and holding his head high. "Oh I…I just refuse to believe that any of this is true!"

"Oh believe it, buster." Cadance suddenly asserted, smirking a little and poking him in the stomach with her hoof. "And in comparison with having Luna use your pelt as a throw rug and Celestia make a living statue out of you, I think you're getting off easy. And speaking of my dear Auntie Celestia…" Suddenly Cadance's gaze hazed in a special way and she leaned close to Discord, "I've noticed how much you try to bother her in particular, how you perk up whenever she expresses her favor for you, just how proud you were she chose you for the Tirek mission…how you grin and watch her whenever she strolls away from you." Cadance pulled back, looking Discord right in the (incredibly wide) eyes. "Have fun with the curse, Discord." Cadance winked and then she magically opened the door, trotted past him, and left the throne room behind.

Discord just stood there in utter, blushing shock for a moment, but then quickly turned around and came to the doorway, holding out an arm. "Cadance, wait!" However Cadance merely continued to trot away until she joined Celestia and Luna at the end of the hall with Spike and several guards he had come across.

Discord hung back for a moment, glancing around and looking deeply concerned (and flustered) to say the least. "Okay…okay…" he mumbled to himself, letting out a deep breath, "So at least the curse won't activate right away—there's that going for you. Just stay calm, Discord. You'll figure out a way to counteract it before it hits. Yes, okay. And pft," he rolled his eyes, trying to grin, "I don't know what she's talking about with Celestia of all people! I-I just…well, I mean, okay I've thought about it…_us_…sometimes…but who hasn't if for no other reason than that it would be the craziest and most unnatural pairing known to ponykind?" He glanced around, almost like he was looking for a supporter to agree with him, but of course he (thankfully) still had his privacy.

Discord swallowed and cleared his throat, lowering his voice even more. "And I don't bother her more than any pony else—well, at least not for any particular romantic reason…and I don't _exactly_ 'perk up' whenever she gives me attention—I-I just like attention, that's all…and I wasn't _all that_ proud when she chose me over Twilight to deal with Tirek, just pleased with myself—really…and I definitely don't watch her when she strolls away from me…I mean, I don't watch her any more than any other guy or stallion would." He was blushing so much…and now his eyes started to drift down the hall toward Celestia, though he quickly caught himself and looked forward again, clearing his throat. "Okay, you know what, since this is a slow acting curse, no matter what Cadance said, I'm fixing it before anything happens. My private feelings are staying my own, thank you very much." He pounded a fist into his palm, nodded firmly, and then put on a happy smile.

Then a very large twitch went through Discord.

"Uh oh." He blinked. "We should get to Ponyville—now. I haven't felt this much magical balancing and unbalancing there since I tried to turn it into the chaos capital of the world." Discord took a breath to get himself centered and normal again, and then moved up the hall to meet his friends (taking his time a little bit though as he mentally prepared himself for confronting the princesses again, and especially under his current cursed circumstances).

* * *

Meanwhile, up the hall, Celestia noticed Discord's approach and looked to Cadance. She kept her voice low. "Cadance, what happened with you and Discord exactly?"

Cadance smiled up at Celestia, keeping her own voice low too. "Oh…we just had a long talk, and I gave him a lot to think about. You know, I think this experience has been good for him—he has a much deeper understanding of friendship now, and he's getting so in touch with his emotions that I think he's even starting to come around to the side of love as well." Her smile grew a little. "He's not such a bad guy once you get to know him, and I think he'll be much more comfortable showing his better side and his true feelings for everyone now."

Celestia smiled softly and nodded. "Thank you for handling the situation so well, Cadance. You were right—I'm afraid that Luna and I are a little too close to Discord to have an objective response to him so soon after his betrayal and our recovery." She glanced down the hall to Discord again as he neared them. "Luna might take a little longer to come around entirely, but I think I'll assure Discord that I'm just grateful he's safe and that we can be close again once more."

Something in Cadance's gaze became all knowing, and she nodded. "I think he would like that very much, Celestia." She giggled softly. "Besides, I know you really have been warming up to having him as a friend, and it would be a shame not to do everything to keep that friendship going. From what you wrote me about him in your letters, you seemed very taken with his reformed sense of humor."

Celestia smiled a little more, looking to her niece again. "I really would have missed him if he had stuck with Tirek and ended up in Tartarus too, yes." She rolled her eyes to the side. "But please don't mention that to him, Cadance—he has enough of an ego as it is." She laughed warmly.

Cadance laughed too and winked. "You've got it."

Just as this conversation ended, Discord finally came upon the princesses, Spike and the guards. He cleared his throat. "Okay, ladies and Spike," he clapped his hands together, seeming his normal energetic and pleased self. "Let's get going to Ponyville. That magical imbalance just hit, and as Pinkie Pie might say it's a doozy. Also, it feels like the girls are back there now, so we'd better meet them before they get too worried."

Luna nodded to Discord and then turned to the guards. "You are all dismissed. We will return shortly. Please see to cleaning up the consequences of Tirek's visit here as best you can."

The guards all nodded and saluted, then departed to their tasks.

Luna approached Discord, Spike at her side. "Discord," her tone was direct, the edge of her earlier wrath now gone, "after considering Cadance's words and conferencing briefly with Spike, we have decided to refrain from allowing anger to get the better of us in response to your actions." She smiled. "It has been a long and difficult day for all of us. Let us put aside our differences for the moment, go congratulate Twilight and the girls on their victory, and celebrate the return of Equestria's peace and harmony once more."

Discord smiled in interest to this offer. "Oh, uh…thank you, Luna. I appreciate the gesture." He turned to the rest of the party. "And speaking of friendly gestures, ladies and Spike, allow me to use my magic to take us to Ponyville—I had mine taken away from me for the shortest amount of time, so teleporting us is the least I can do to start apologizing for my behavior." He held up his fingers.

The Princesses and Spike all smiled and nodded in appreciation.

"Thank you, Discord. What a nice, friendly gesture," Celestia added.

Discord cleared his throat (and avoided eye contact with her) as he nodded. "Yes, well…on our way then!" Then Discord snapped his fingers, and in a flash of light they were gone.

The party reappeared on a road leading to the edge of Ponyville, the three Princesses walking in front and Spike and Discord walking a little behind.

Spike smiled and whispered up toward Discord. "You see, Discord—nothing bad happened to you. You were alone with the princesses and especially Cadance for a while, but you're not a statue again or anything. I told you they wouldn't hold a grudge."

Discord just scoffed and rolled his eyes. "That's what you think, young Spike."

Spike blinked and raised an eyebrow. "Wait, _did_ they do something to you?"

Discord shrugged. "Luna and Celestia? No, I got off the hook with those two. But I'm afraid I've suffered the wrath of the love princess, and it is not a wrath to be taken lightly."

Spike grinned and practically laughed. "Oh come on, Discord. Cadance is the nicest, sweetest pony on the planet. What could she have done to you?"

"Cadance is a diabolical mastermind with a pretty face to hide her nefarious intentions. And she did enough. Let's just leave it at that," Discord replied, crossing his arms over his chest, trying to look miffed but mostly just looking uneasy.

Spike eyed him curiously but then just looked forward. "Uh…oookay. If you insist."

Meanwhile, up front, Luna had made a motion to Cadance with her head to hang back a little behind Celestia, to which Cadance complied. Luna whispered to her. "Dear Cadance, I want to thank you for your initiative with handling Discord back at the castle. But I just want to make certain…I mean, I know my own response went a bit too far, but you were still firm with him if a little more lenient, yes?"

Cadance grinned. "Trust me, Luna. Everything's been handled." Her eyes narrowed just a little and she winked.

Luna grinned a little in return, her eyes narrowing as well. "I do like how you appear to take after the calm poise of my sister, yet deep down you occasionally take after the cunning and mercilessness of me. Celestia chose well in adopting you as our niece."

"Thank you, Luna." Cadance smiled brightly and then looked forward. "Everyone is going to benefit from my talk with Discord. I guarantee it as the princess of love." And with that Cadance increased her pace to come by Celestia's side again.

Luna's smile brightened as well, and she increased her pace to come alongside her sister too.

And meanwhile Discord just did his best to keep himself calm with the knowledge that this brief rendezvous with Twilight and the girls certainly couldn't produce any conditions to activate his curse, and that after this meeting he could go off by himself to ponder how best to deal with his new situation in privacy.

Even these thoughts went to the back of Discord's mind though as the group not only finally came upon the girls but upon a rather huge crystal castle now suddenly in existence at Ponyville's border as well.

Discord's eyes went a little wide. _'Wow—those elements really do pack a punch, don't they?'_ But then his eyes came forward to the sight of the girls (and especially Fluttershy) all better and smiling, and he had to smile too. The princesses stopped, and he heard Celestia reveal to Twilight that the castle was hers. At this point, he peeked out from behind the three ladies and waved to the girls as did Spike, the two gentlemen of the group just so happy to see their spunky lady friends well once again (and Discord just so happy to be back in the fold of friendship once more).

* * *

Soon enough, the girls, Spike, Discord and the princesses had all settled into the castle and especially into the new friendship throne room. And now they opened the doors of Twilight's castle to the public to officially commemorate their new princess's victory and her new home in Ponyville.

Upon which, the tune to a song started up (and Discord promptly rolled his eyes—_'Why must these ponies sing all the time?_' he thought to himself dully, though he did tap his hoof a little to the beat.)

It was just then, a few bars of melody before the singing started, that Cadance sidled up alongside him with a smile. "Hello, Discord. Feeling all right?"

Discord grinned a little, leaning against a crystal pillar near the wall of the throne room, arms crossed over his chest as he observed the crowd. "Yes, and why shouldn't I be? All of my friends have forgiven me, and everyone's happy, and I just have to sit through one gaudy song about friendship before I can go home."

Cadance giggled. "Yes, well, speaking of that, I think I should mention something."

"As long as you don't touch me with your horn again, fire away," Discord replied, glancing at her just a touch warily.

Cadance's smile only widened and she looked right at him, her voice as kind and casual in tone as ever. "The curse is activated by music, especially singing," she explained simply. "And there's Celestia right across the room. Good luck, Discord." She tapped him on the shoulder with her hoof, upon which Cadance proceeded to turn and stroll off into the party.

Discord just stood there wide-eyed…and then he felt his heart pounding to the music as the lyrics started to be sung!

'_I need to get out of here! Ugh but I'm surrounded by ponies, and there are rainbows and flying, and I can't…I can't…I can't just leave in the middle of a friendship celebration that I helped make possible, especially after I was such a jerk! Okay, it's fine it's not a big deal, I'll just hide! Yes that's it!'_ Smiling, Discord quickly dashed away and tucked himself out of sight as the song continued, hiding behind the crystal pillar as close to the back of the throne room as possible. '_Just keep away from Celestia…not that I really do have an attraction to Celestia, heh. Just don't look at her. Just don't…'_

But it was too late.

"Discord, what are you doing over here?"

Discord turned and jumped in the air. "Celestia! And Luna!" He had been so intent on avoiding any sight of them that he had all but backed into them apparently in this area of the throne room. And now Cadance came up alongside the two sisters. Discord's eyes narrowed. "And Cadance…"

Cadance just beamed pleasantly. "Not thinking of leaving the celebration early…are you, Discord?" She smirked just a little, raising an eyebrow. "Unless of course you have a good reason for leaving that you would care to admit…about someone here, perhaps?"

Celestia and Luna just looked at Cadance curiously and then at Discord the same way.

Discord gulped but kept up a firm look, crossing his arms over his chest. "What? Oh of course not, I'm afraid I have no idea what you're, um…talking about." It was getting really hard not to look at Celestia—really, really hard. Even the mere temptation just to do something he wasn't supposed to do was a lot for a being of chaos to withstand…

Then Celestia turned to glance at the girls dashing around and singing, and a warm, lyrical laugh escaped her—a laugh that of course was so amused and carefree it had to make the chaos master look to her. Discord saw her smiling, admiring the sights around them so happily, and then she looked back to him, her eyes meeting his, and she smiled at him like the two of them were a pair of the dearest friends in the world.

And at that point, Discord felt his will to resist whatever Cadance had done to him crumble like a stale cookie.

He smiled back at Celestia. _'Maybe I do think she's kind of cute. Maybe I do sort of like getting attention from her.'_ He bit his lip. '_And…maybe I do watch her a little longer than I need to whenever she walks away from me…though who could blame a guy, really?'_ He cleared his throat, resisting the thoughts, glancing away from her again. "A-Aren't you going to go off and sing or something, Celestia?" He rolled his paw in the air, desperate for something, anything to get her away from him (though at the same time he felt himself starting to wish she wouldn't go).

Celestia shook her head though, still smiling away. "No, I think I'll leave that to the girls. It's their celebration, it's their new Rainbow Power. But why don't you go join them, Discord? You were the last key to giving them the Rainbow Power, after all. And I know you like singing and being the center of attention." Celestia reached out and gently pushed him forward from behind with her hoof.

Discord's response to her touch was to straighten up entirely, his eyes going wide, a smile distinctly perking up on his face. "In the middle of the singing? Me? I…well, I… '_That'll probably make the effect of this whole curse thing the worst it could be. Oh, but why fight it? Why not just get it over with. Oh this dreadful love curse—I admit it, okay, deep down I'm partial to Celestia, I'm attracted to Celestia, I like Celestia! She's just been so fun to get close to and to tease and to finally make laugh ever since I was reformed that I can't help myself! Oh Cadance, you diabolical fiend you!'_ He sighed, his smile persisting if not growing.

Discord hadn't spoken in a few seconds (let alone finished his sentence), and so now Celestia raised an eyebrow and prompted softly, "Discord?"

"Only if you'll join me…" Discord quickly suggested, glancing behind him to Celestia with a warm gaze and somewhat suave grin. At the sight of Celestia smiling more and raising an eyebrow at this reply, he cleared his throat again and added, "You and your fellow princesses of course—let's all go be in the middle of everything, all the pomp and the friendship. Come on!"

Discord snapped, suddenly making himself, Celestia, Luna, and Cadance appear right at the heart of the celebration just as the song was starting to reach its climax and the Rainbow Power could be seen coming over the horizon to return to the castle from its trip around the world. And as founder of the sixth key, Discord had a feeling it was coming back for him. _'And Celestia will get to see me being such a good, helpful part of friendship. Won't she be impressed!'_ His smile brightened. '_Oh I hate myself for this, but I don't care! I think I'm even starting to like this. I feel so special—all of my friends and now dear Celestia too right with me.'_ Then he caught sight of Cadance grinning at him and giggling, but he just smiled more and looked out at all of his friends in happiness.

Just then the Rainbow Power came back into the castle, wrapping him up in a warmth he had never known before. Discord looked out to all of the ponies, each and every one smiling at him instead of cowering in fear or dread. Cadance's curse might have been strong, but he couldn't help being much more overwhelmed for the moment by the feeling of friendship's magic surrounding him. And then of course his eyes caught sight of Celestia, one of his most special friends of all, and now the one he had so many other feelings for inside just waiting to come out. He wanted to be nice to her, he wanted to be more than nice to her, he wanted to be so nice to her that she would never look at him the same way again.

He chuckled to himself. '_Well, when all else fails, give a lady flowers.'_ And then Discord made a bouquet appear in his hands as full of rainbows as any Rainbow Power in this castle, turned to the woman who had put up with so much from him for so long and who had always posed such an intriguing challenge to his antics, and presented the flowers to her (he just barely resisted adding in the flourish of going down on one knee to do it—'_Wow, that love curse of Cadance's really does pack a punch.'_)

And Discord got a little reward for this action—Celestia, normally so poised and so confident, blinked, looked more surprised than he had ever seen her appear before, and finally smiled at him with such affection that Discord couldn't resist adding the 'pièce de résistance' to this whole fiasco—he winked at her, openly, shamelessly, almost encouragingly. '_Oh please let this song end before I snap my fingers, get her held in my arms and standing on two hooves, dip her back, tell her she's more fiery than the sun she raises each day, and announce that now that I'm fully reformed and a master of friendship she should feel more than welcome to assist me in becoming the master of love.'_

"_Let the rainbow remind you that together we will always shine…"_

The music died down, Twilight's last lyric rang out across the throne room…and now Discord realized (with relief, yes, but perhaps with a pang of disappointment as well) that the curse would leave him now not only with a lot to explain to Celestia, but also lacking the greatest boost of courage he'd ever known for expressing his true feelings about that fickle cousin of friendship—love. Discord sighed as all singing died out. '_Oh I should reign down such chaos on the crystal empire for this. Too bad I'm finally fully reformed, otherwise I'd do it and then some just to get back at Cadance for the whole agonizingly confusing experience this has been.'_ Not making eye contact with the princesses or anyone else, Discord quickly slipped off among the crowd, waiting for it to dissipate so that he could sneak out with the final guests, hopefully avoiding any confrontation with Celestia entirely, at least for now.

Meanwhile, as the celebration indeed died down, Celestia just stood on the sidelines with Luna and Cadance. Celestia smiled and gently sniffed her flowers while Luna looked at the bouquet with wide eye sockets and a dropped jaw, and Cadance just beamed in happiness at how wonderfully her plan had worked out.

Finally, Luna cleared her throat and spoke up. "Er, sister, I…I believe we've all had a long day, Discord included. Perhaps it would be best for you and I to adjourn to our castle and for Cadance to begin her trip home. I'm certain Twilight and the girls would understand." She did her best to smile amongst her confusion.

Celestia smiled more to herself, admiring her flowers for a moment longer and then the general crowd around them. "Luna, why don't you return to Canterlot yourself. Inform the guards I'll be back shortly. I just want to tie up a few loose ends here." She glanced at her niece. "Cadance, feel free to head home whenever you want to. I know you must miss Shining Armor."

Cadance smiled. "I will, Celestia. But actually, I'd, um…like to say goodbye to Twilight and some other people too first. Excuse me." And then she headed out among the crowd, secretly searching for Discord.

Celestia and Luna watched her go. Then Luna's look became a little dry, and she brought her gaze back to her sister. "Celestia, just promise me you won't let Discord 'follow thee home' or anything after this celebration. Frankly, I need a break from him for a little while no matter how extra reformed and affectionate he's suddenly decided to become." She raised a hoof to her temple and sighed.

Celestia laughed softly. "Oh Luna, don't worry, I have the situation under control. I'll see you at home."

Luna sighed but nodded. "Very well, sister. I'll see you shortly." Luna headed a few paces away from Celestia and couldn't help shaking her head and glancing across the room where, among the thinning crowd, she could just make out the familiar shades of pink and cream that made up Cadance's color palette. "I really must ask her what she said to Discord exactly. I have a feeling her method of 'punishment' is truly unusual…if oddly effective." She gave a momentary glance back at her sister who was tenderly admiring her flowers again, and shuddered a little. "Indeed, very, very 'oddly' effective." And then with another sigh and a yawn (and maybe the smallest smile at how strange if somewhat nice the end of this day had turned out to be) Luna used her magic to teleport back to Canterlot Castle.

* * *

The singing long since finished, the celebration all but over, Discord kept himself very far away from the last place he had seen Celestia in the throne room, though doing so made him find himself very close to the place where Cadance now was apparently. She was just smiling like the innocent, serene princess she liked to pretend to be. Discord knew better though, and crossed his arms over his chest and held his head high as he came before her. "Well, little miss Mi Amore Cadenza, I hope you're happy now. But I should tell you that ultimately your nefarious punishment has all but backfired. Everyone was too caught up in friendship singing to notice me making a near-romantic spectacle of myself with Celestia, and if Celestia asks me about what I did, I'm just going to tell her that I was under some sort of silly spell from you that totally warped my judgment. Ha!" He smirked triumphantly down at the love princess.

And Cadance just smiled pleasantly back up at him. "Discord, did I mention there's a part two of your punishment from me?"

Discord's eyes went wide, and he instantly took a large step away from her. "You keep that horn away from me."

Cadance just giggled and shook her head though. "Oh, no, nothing like that. I'm just going to say something to you." She approached, her eyes narrowing a little and her smile growing. "Just one thing."

Discord gulped. "Y-Yes?"

Cadance closed her eyes, her smile beaming, and replied simply, "There was no curse."

Discord was silent. Then he blinked several times. "I'm sorry, what?"

"No curse." Cadance opened her eyes and shrugged. "I made the whole thing up. I tried to tell you before that I didn't actually do anything to you. I just told you that you were under a curse so that you'd finally act like how you truly feel about my aunt to everyone and Celestia herself. I figured the only way someone as stubborn as you would do that would be with the psychological excuse that something was lowering your inhibitions." She winked. "But no, nothing, no curse. Everything you just did, you did all on your own, and all because you couldn't help the intensity of your own feelings, buster." Cadance beamed again. "Congratulations, Discord, you're on your way to learning all about the magic of love. I'm sure Twilight won't mind the extra lessons to go along with her friendship ones."

Discord was silent again. He didn't blink at all this time. "You're not serious."

Cadance shook her head though. "Oh no, quite serious. Come on, Discord, I'm the princess of love. It would be totally unethical for me to start sprinkling dark magic into my powers to compel and manipulate the emotions of others, even as a form of punishment." She smiled more. "But, really, isn't making you act on your true feelings _and_ letting you realize that you acted all on your own an even better punishment than some silly curse?"

Discord's jaw fell open about a foot, a desperately confused look coming to his eyes. "But…how…why…what…_Oh you're good_. But no, I mean…the torture, why would you torture me like this?" He brought a hand to his forehead at the overwhelming perplexity of the whole thing. "Spike was right, you're normally the nicest person and princess around. What gives?"

Cadance's smile remained, though her eyes narrowed a little as she explained. "Because, Discord, from a friendship standpoint you'll feel better about your poor actions today knowing that you worked hard to make up for them somehow. And as for any personal stake I might have in this…Discord, let me be perfectly clear about something with you." She took a deep breath. "We're all adults, we all make mistakes…so even if I don't like it, if you want to inconvenience or even turn on me or Twilight or Celestia or Luna or most anypony, I'm willing to accept the situation, resist you, and come to a mutual and mature compromise about things at the end of the day if we can. _But_…" Cadance now moved very close to him, "…I know that you personally led Tirek to the Crystal Empire and watched as my husband's magic was drained by that villain…" Cadance's voice lowered, her eyes narrowed, "…And nobody, and I mean _nobody,_ messes with my Shining Armor on my watch. At all. _Ever_. Period. The last person who did was a certain changeling Queen who got blasted to the far outer reaches of the badlands. Get it?" She got up as close to Discord as possible, glaring into his eyes, her horn starting to spark with electric bolts of not-too-pleasant-looking magic.

Discord, eyes wide, leaned back a little as he gulped and nodded. "Got it."

Cadance remained in this somewhat threatening posture for a moment longer, but then she stepped back from Discord and smiled brightly, her horn losing its magic. "Good."

Discord just raised an eyebrow, looking at her in a mixture of concern, unease, and awe. "You are some kind of strange force to be reckoned with, Cadance, do you know that?"

Cadance's smile perked up even more. "Thank you, Discord. I try." She cleared her throat, and her tone became as normal as ever as she went on. "Besides, Discord, you'll find that this punishment, disregarding the torture aspect, really won't turn out to be so bad. There might even be a little reward in it for you. In fact, there's Celestia coming over right now with a smile to talk to you. And she still has your flowers—very nice touch by the way." Cadance put a hoof to her mouth and giggled.

Discord blinked and turned to indeed see Celestia approaching from across the room with a smile on her face and her bouquet in one of her front hooves. He turned back to Cadance and quickly snapped to make himself hide behind her (as best he could considering he was twice her size). "Cadance, no, please don't make me talk to her—I have no idea what to say now! I…"

Cadance just sighed, putting a soothing hoof on his shoulder. "It'll be fine, Discord. Trust me. You'll thank me for this." She used her magic to put him in front of her again, this time facing Celestia, and to give him a quick nudge forward.

"Wait, no Cadance! Seriously!" Discord turned again, but Cadance had already retreated a few feet away near the cover of a crystal pillar by the wall. Discord scowled and whispered over to her sharply (as Celestia was now in earshot). "_Come back here!"_

"Discord?"

"Ahh!" Discord jumped and turned, and there was Celestia right before him now…the woman he had just, all on his own, admitted to finding attractive and wanting to please, the woman he had presented flowers to and winked at in public, the woman who had the cutest smile and the biggest, prettiest eyes and the most fascinating hair when she got this close to you and you could really notice her features. Discord sighed deeply and did his best to put thoughts like those way for now (and not to smack his palm to his face in response to them). He smiled sheepishly and cleared his throat, giving his new companion a little wave. "Um…hey, Celestia, heh. Fun housewarming party, huh?"

Celestia nodded, glancing around at the last of the guests and all of the lovely décor of the throne room. "Oh yes, it's turned out to be a very wonderful event, Discord." Then her gaze came back to her flowers and lingered for a moment before her eyes found their way back to Discord again. "Discord? I was wondering…" Something almost shy came to her smile, and she hesitated.

Discord's eyes went wide and he swallowed. "Yes?" he managed to prompt casually.

Celestia smiled more, clearing her throat and going on. "To celebrate your final reform and the strengthening of our friendship, I was wondering if would you like to come by the castle for lunch one day—maybe this weekend?"

"O-Oh…" Discord did his best to keep up an average smile, though he could feel a frown pulling at the corners of it. Perhaps part of him really had hoped that, however awkward the prospect, Cadance's curse might really somehow lead to… He sighed. '_Yeah, like I'd really stand a chance with her anyway. Oh well_.' Discord tried to perk up his smile a little and nodded. "Oh, um…well, sure, lunch with you and Luna and whatever dignitaries you have on hand sounds nice. Thanks, Celestia."

Celestia tilted her head to the side and then shook it, still smiling. "Oh, no, Discord—Luna sleeps during lunch. She doesn't take that meal until the middle of the night. And except for special occasions, she and I always dine alone or with each other. So lunch would just be you and I." Her gaze became warm. "We could have it out in the privacy of the gardens."

"I…" Discord's eyes went wide. "I-If you want to…yes, okay then." He swore for the first time in his life he felt his heart genuinely flutter. "Private lunch together works."

"Wonderful." Celestia beamed. "I'll see you then, Discord. I'll be looking forward to it. I think it'll be a good opportunity to talk more about our friendship." Then Celestia let out a breath, leaned close and suddenly gave him a small kiss on the cheek. She pulled back with a bit of extra warmth in her smile but otherwise looking as poised as ever. "And thank you again for the flowers." She inhaled their scent deeply. "Goodbye, Discord." Celestia turned and started walking away (the lightest tinge of a blush noticeable in her features now, and just barely visible from this angle).

Discord just stood there, and once again this afternoon his jaw fell open about a foot.

Cadance chose to come forward and slide up close to him again now. "So…?" She grinned, giving him a look.

"What in the name of ponies just happened?" Discord scratched his head, blinking a few times, one eyebrow risen so distinctly high on his head that the effect was utterly comical.

Cadance just giggled. "Well, in my professional love opinion, Discord, I think that by being honest about your feelings, you helped Celestia be honest about some of her feelings too…even ones she might not be quite aware of herself. I've never seen her give anyone a little kiss, you know, even a friendly one. And she almost never blushes." Her smile grew, and she gave him a little nudge with her elbow and winked. "I think she likes you."

Discord blinked and then pouted, looking away stubbornly. "Oh…shut up."

"No, really," Cadance smiled more, "I think she's very happy you chose the side of good, and that she's looking forward to your friendship progressing."

"Hmph, no one likes a sore winner, Cadance." Discord held his head high, arms crossed over his chest. "I admit it, you bested me, now drop it please. No need to rub in my embarrassment."

Cadance just shook her head though, her tone going from slightly teasing to fully sincere. "Discord, I'm not trying to rub it in, I'm trying to congratulate you. I mean it. I may have been upset by your interaction with Shining Armor, but I'd never let that interfere with my romantic duties. I think you and Celestia would be a very cute couple together." Her eyes shined a little at the idea.

Discord just sighed deeply and glanced at her coolly, an eyebrow raised. "Just so you know, if you ever tell anyone about any of this, I'll turn that 'crystal' empire of yours into a 'gem' empire and sick a herd of dragons on it."

Cadance smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. It's my honor-bound duty as princess of love never to betray the confidences of people's hearts." Then she glanced around again to make sure they weren't being watched or overheard, leaned close and whispered to him, "But of course that doesn't mean I can't give out personal advice regarding other people. Incidentally, Celestia loves cake—especially the chocolate kind, she hates stuffed animals, she loves walks in the forest and flights over the countryside, but she hates swimming of any kind, she loves picnics but hates eating indoors at restaurants. Just in case you needed some input for date ideas."

Discord blinked and then actually couldn't help chuckling a little and shaking his head. "Oh Cadance, Cadance, Cadance, Princess of Love Cadance…even if I wanted to woo your aunt, believe me, I could do it without advice from you." He held out his paw, admiring it. "I may have been encased in stone for a thousand years, but I've had lifetimes more experience with ladies before that—I know a thing or two about a thing or two." He smirked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Cadance just sighed and rolled her eyes. "Right, right…" She smiled and shrugged. "Well, good, then you'll have the chance to prove it when you go on that lunch date with Celestia." She winked at him. "Bye for now, Discord, I have a train to catch." She gave him a little wave and turned to dash off.

"Yes, yes, bye bye Cadance," Discord started with a little wave of his own. But then he blinked and all smugness left his features. "Hey! Wait, I still don't know about this, Cadance, I…" He paused and sighed deeply, seeing her now already wishing her goodbyes to Twilight across the room by the exit. "Oh…never mind." He scoffed to himself. "Like this 'date' with Celestia is actually something I care about." Then with an eye roll he snapped his fingers, disappeared from the throne room, and reappeared outside flying above the castle. Discord glanced around now to make sure he was all alone…and then a big smile came to his face. "Yes!" he whispered to himself, giving a quick fist pump in the air. '_I'll have all of Celestia's attention all for me for once! A spontaneous date with a pretty girl—maybe Cadance really isn't so bad to be punished by._'

"Discord?"

"Ahh!" Discord jumped up higher in the air, and then turned and lowered back to his previous level at the sound of Celestia suddenly addressing him. "Celestia? What are you doing up here? And also stop sneaking up on me already! Really!" He felt a blush threatening to come into his cheeks, but he tried to clear his throat and play it off.

Celestia, hovering in the air with her bouquet still held in one hand, eyed him curiously for a moment but then just sighed and explained. "I'm sorry, Discord, I didn't mean to surprise you. I was just taking a moment to look over Twilight's castle before I left. The design is very fascinating after all. And what are you doing up here?"

"I, er…well…er…just stretching my wings? Heh." Discord shrugged sheepishly, putting his arms behind his back.

Celestia's smile picked up on one side. "Oh. Well, that's nice." A small yawn escaped her that she covered up with her free hoof. "Well, I don't want to keep you, Discord, and I'm getting a little tired, so I think I'll head home now—and I think I'm going to fly. Stretching your wings does suddenly sound nice, come to think of it." She laughed. "Have a good afternoon, Discord. I'm so happy you've learned how to keep and cherish friends. And I'm happy that you're safe…and that you're feeling better about being close to all of us, Discord." A touch of relief and sincerity came to her gaze.

Discord blinked, smiling in a touch of gratitude at her concern, and nodded to her. "Me too. See you, Celestia." He gave her a little wave and then made himself sum up the courage and add, "I…I can't wait for our lunch."

Celestia smiled warmly at him and nodded in return. "I'm sure it'll be lovely. Well, bye again, Discord." She lingered for just a moment longer and then turned to fly back to Canterlot, still holding his flowers close.

"You too, Celestia. Bye." Discord waved, watching her go…and he kept watching her… He sighed, grinning to himself, eyes a little hazed. "Okay, I'm…I'm definitely watching her longer than I need to…and now longer than the average guy would…and now I'm snapping up binoculars to keep watching that graceful princess." Indeed, with his binoculars he could observe her beautiful wings, the gentle lines of her form, maybe a few other other interesting aspects about her… Discord chuckled, snapping and finally making the binoculars disappear. He smiled to himself. "All right, I'll officially admit, Cadance's punishment was quite just and fair. Even if I just went through the most stressful song sequence of my life to make up for all of the stress I caused her and the other princesses, at least I got a date out of it and caught the attention of one of the most eligible ladies in Equestria. And Cadance definitely didn't start anything that wasn't already sort of there. So maybe none of this is so bad."

Discord stretched up and then started flying through the air on his back in the direction of Ponyville. "I think I'll celebrate by taking a nap in Fluttershy's garden until she gets home, and then I'll surprise her with all of the cucumber sandwiches she could ever want. Then I'll officially move Cadance up a notch in my chart ranking the princesses by who's most clever to the point of practically being villain material." He chuckled. "Then I'll daydream about Celestia. And then I'll take another big nap because it has been a long few days." He laughed more, rolling his eyes. "Love curses…please. Love is its own kind of messed up magic—crazy, unpredictable, uncontrollable…quite my speed actually as the master of chaos. Oh I can't wait to see how things might play out with me and Celestia." Laughing more to himself, Discord did an almost giddy backflip through the air and continued along on his daydreamy way to ponder this new turn his chaotic life had taken.

And meanwhile, Celestia went home to enjoy her flowers very, very, very, very much (and to enjoy Discord's company even more so once their lunch together finally came around.)

* * *

**A/N:**

I hope you all enjoyed, and thank you for reading (and reviewing) : )

Happy Reading!

~Azure129 aka Jenna


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